Cyrano
Cyrano's JournalA peek behind the curtain. Trump is just the front man.
The Republicans are on the verge of owning America. Billionaires, whose names we don't even know, have spent decades buying their way to this point. And the irony is that Trump is too stupid to know that they lucked out when he came along. He's their flashing, neon, "free candy for everyone" billboard.-- And he's one of the most effective in history.
Tens of millions have bought into his "The drinks are on the house" pitch. After all, doesn't everyone love the guy who has said he'll pick up the tab.
Those who ran Germany's "Third Reich" sold much the same shit. It worked. They ended up owning the country, and then they tried to own the entire world. Britain, Russia and our forebears stopped them. But this time around, the shit peddlers are homegrown. Our founders called them "Domestic Enemies." And they have a good chance of winning or stealing this year's election. If they do, it will be the last.
And here we are. The majority. We're watching it unfold and our leaders seem to be caught like deer in the headlights. Yes, the media is assisting the barbarians. But you'd think that countless millions of sane people could put up a better defense. Actually, "defense" seems like joke. We're barely in this fight. And millions of people who are Democrats are only vaguely aware that the Republicans have declared war on democracy.
So what do we do besides everything possible to get out the vote and beat them at the polls? I wish I had the answer. Yet, we know going into this election that their suppression tactics, their gerrymandering, their "lost votes" claims, and everything else they have in their bag of dirty tricks, is being employed.
The only advice I have to give is VOTE! And if that's not enough, we need a Plan B, which we currently seem to lack. And it's a lack that could cost us our freedoms, our country and our lives.
Is AI as big a threat as climate change and nuclear weapons?
Virtually every new tool/discovery/invention in the history of the world has been weaponized. Rocks, sticks, and fire, were the first, most obvious weapons that homo sapiens used to kill each other. Bows and arrows came along, and then gunpowder tremendously upped the death count.
Now, here we are with the reality of AI, and only a tiny fraction of the world even knows what Artificial Intelligence is, or what it means.
Yet, it's existence has surpassed even that of, what we have for the past 80 years or so, feared most. Nuclear weapons can wipe out cities, and even the entire planet. But they're really hard to be used on specific targets. What specific targets? Well, how about utilities which include our water, power and communications? My guess is that, disrupting those three things for which we pay for monthly, would lead to a world that would be fucked up beyond repair.
Yet, here we are with AI available to corporations, any smart person who owns a desktop or laptop, or, perhaps even just an Apple or Android phone?
Do I really need to continue with the countless ways in which AI is, and is about to, change the entire world? Those who "get it," get it. Those who don't yet understand, will, in the near future become aware of how it affects their personal lives.
Right now, you don't see DU filled with how AI is changing/improving/destroying the world as we know it. But put this post aside, read it a year from now, and then, see if it means more to you than it currently does.
Many may think I'm "full of crap.' But in early 1945, "The Manhattan Project" meant nothing to most of the people in the world.
He's told us who/what he is. Tens of millions can't/won't hear it.
They can't wait to vote for him in November.
What's wrong with them? How can they not grasp the consequences?
Many are people we know. Some are friends. Some are family.
They believe the lies. The propaganda. The poison.
Are they morally dead?
Didn't they hear him say "vermin," "poisoning our blood," "deport millions," "camps for illegals," "assassination of opponents?"
Mark Twain said: "History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes." I've got to disagree. What Trump and his minions have in mind is an exact repeat of Nazi Germany's Third Reich. When American soldiers entered those death camps, the words "True Evil" became fully defined for the entire world.
Why do I think that Trump and his ilk are capable of this? Because I've listened to what he, and so many of his followers have said out loud. They've told us where they will go if they gain power. BELIEVE THEM.
Can we stop them before any of this happens? I don't know. But the first step is obvious. VOTE!
Republicans have stolen patriotism, its symbols, and the concept of reality.
You can't be a patriot if you're a Democrat. Why? Republicans say so.
You can't be seeing the reality of the world if you're a Democrat. Why? Republicans have told us so.
Why do so many believe this bullshit? Because Republicans have built the biggest and best propaganda machine in the history of the wold.
Fox "news," wingnut podcasts, lunatic blogs: Republicans have seized the majority of ways in which we receive our "news" and now, tens of millions are buying the shit they're selling.
But, Joe Biden is still the President and he has the biggest megaphone in the world. Yet, Trump and his sycophants seem to have an even bigger microphone. It all goes back to the saying that: "A lie will travel around the world before truth gets it's pants on."
If nothing else, understand this. Republicans don't "own" the flag, or the Pledge of Allegiance, or the National Anthem. As a matter of fact, today's Republican Party is a malicious, cruel, dangerous criminal organization that has fallen in love with totalitarianism and is entitled to claim none of the symbols of democracy.
Many of them believe the "reality they're peddling. But those funding their movement are just using those too uneducated and dense to understand that America is being stolen and enslaved.
And let's not forget that they claim to own god. Well, if she or he exists, I'm pretty sure she/he doesn't give flying shit what they believe.
The bottom line here is that far too many American voters are eating the crap the Republicans are peddling. And if Trump and his minions win/steal the election, their voters will be clueless that they're putting the noose of fascism around their own necks.
Ali Velshi just keeps getting better and better.
This evening, I watched Ali Velshi sitting in for Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC. Ali did a 20 minute opening monologue as does Rachel Maddow on Monday nights. He's informed about American and world politics, and he's become an MSNBC treasure.
At one time in America, John Kennedy was not dead until the TV icon Walter Cronkite of that era stated it to be so. Rachel, and now Ali, are virtually at that level of credibility.
Whatever political ideology you ascribe to, truth is truth. To me, Rachel Maddow has been the most reliable source of news for years. Now, she's being joined by Ali Velshi. TV has become but one of many media outlets. But regardless of which media you're paying attention to, credibility is everything. And Rachel and Ali have it.
Trump's Death Camps?
IMO, if he wins/steals the presidency, death camps are virtually inevitable.
He’s already said he’s going to deport 11 million people. Who’s going to pay for the boats and planes? Or is he just going to load them all on barges and push them out to sea?
He’s also talked about “detention camps” for illegal aliens. How much is it going to cost to feed and guard them? After all, we all know how Trump hates to “waste money.” Also, why would he stop at illegal aliens?
And let’s not forget that he wants to be able to assassinate his opponents ("opponents" meaning anyone he wants to assassinate). Does anyone really think that, in his mind, there’s any difference between a few dozen, a few hundred, a few thousand, or a few million?
Anyone who can’t foresee “Trump Death Camps,” isn't paying attention. Trump, his MAGAs, and others want a white, “Christian” nation. And there is no doubt in my mind that they’ll go for a “Final Solution” to get it.
VOTE.
Okay, that's my opinion. So fire away and let’s hear why you think I’m nuts.
Even if found guilty, he won't go to jail.
IMO, he'll be sentenced to house arrest with an ankle bracelet. My guess is that even if he announces that he's going to take the verdict to the appeals court, the judge will still order that his sentence begin immediately.
I have little doubt that, were this scenario to happen, the MAGATs would take to the streets. However, this time around, Joe Biden is the Commander in Chief and he can call out the military to put down any widespread violence.
Under these conditions, it will be interesting to see how many would still vote for him.
About that "Seeing the other guy's point of view" thing.
I've always liked to believe I was fair minded enough to see the point of view of those with whom I disagreed on one or more issues.
Having said that, I find that I can see the differing views of many Trump voters. And I find them all to be either greed, habit, ignorance, hatred, or belief in an ideology that denies people their humanity and freedoms..
* There are those who are extremely wealthy and care only that their taxes be minimal and that the government doesn't regulate their business's.
* There are those who always vote Republican, don't pay much attention to politics, and will continue to vote for any Republican.
* There are those who share Trump's hatred's of all the "THEMS."
* And there are those who truly believe that authoritarianism is a superior form of government to democracy.
The values I learned growing up are the very antithesis of what Trump voters believe. There's a difference between knowing and understanding what others think/believe.
Yet, I know and understand enough of where their beliefs will lead us. Trump has told us, (in that "TIME" magazine article and elsewhere), what he intends to do if/when he wins the presidency. He's going to be a dictator. He's going to deport millions. He's going to send troops into the streets. He's going to jail or assassinate his enemies. And so much more.
Seems to me that the only thing he left out was the torture chambers and the gas chambers.
And I believe that anyone who can't see this is a fool. And that, if they displease the president or his cronies in any way, (even if they are a white "Christian" nationalist), they will immediately share the fate of the "THEMS."
Trump Inc. dealt with foreigner corporations. U.S. business's knew better.
Two of Trump Inc''s biggest associates/customers were Russian Oligachs and Saudi Arabians (and the banks that laundered the money).
I really don't know if any legitimate businesses dealt with him. He was well known to stiff his contractors, screw his "partners," and lie about,, ... well, ... just about everything.
Overall, virtually everything Trump touched turned to shit. How could any businessman man in the world screw up a casino? Well, Trump's Atlantic City Casino went bankrupt. (That's like loosing a horse race with one horse in it.)
Given his position and opportunities, he could have been one of the richest men in the world. But his focus was always on "the scam." After all, why earn it when you can get fools to just give it to you?
I doubt if there was any legitimate businessman in America who didn't know who and what Donald Trump was and is..
Conversely, many around the world, who didn't do their homework, ended up lining Trump's pockets and losing millions.
This was our last president who wants to be our next one. It's incredible how many millions of voters are buying the same shit he's selling and has always sold.
One man has seized the attention of America.
He didn't do it alone. He was backed by billionaires and right-wing organizations to whom democracy is a blockade to the world they want to own and rule.
Trump is their perfect and (unknowing) tool. He wants to be king. He's clueless that he's just the means that the American fascists required to finally destroy democracy and instill their absolute control and power.
These people loudly backed Nazi Germany until Pearl Harbor. After that, they shut up until the war ended. It took them decades to reach the point of being on the verge of seizing absolute power. This November will tell weather or not they succeed. And if they do, the vast majority will find themselves in a world in which they are, for lack of a better word, enslaved.
Vote.
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: Palm Beach County, Florida
Member since: Fri Apr 16, 2004, 02:36 PM
Number of posts: 15,101
